Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives released a plan yesterday to replace Obamacare that could drastically reduce the credits low-income Alabamians receive to offset the costs of insurance.

The oldest and poorest consumers in Alabama and around the country could get hit hardest by the changes, according to an analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation. On the flip side, Americans making more than $40,000 a year would receive more assistance to purchase insurance, which is unavailable to many under the Affordable Care Act.

An interactive map published by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that the amount of the average tax credit would fall by about half for 40-year-old Alabamians who earn $20,000 a year. In Birmingham, the average credit would shrink from $6,000 to $3,000 for that group of consumers, according to the study.

The tax credits available to adults making $40,000 a year are much more comparable to those available under the Affordable Care Act. People making $60,000 or more a year are not eligible for financial assistance under the ACA, but would receive tax credits under the GOP plan, called the American Health Care Act.

Premiums in Alabama jumped by an average of 36 percent last year for plans offered on the exchange. They also increased the previous year. Tax credits, which vary by income and location under the Affordable Care Act, offset most of those increases for about 90 percent of consumers who qualified in Alabama. About 180,000 people in Alabama purchased health insurance on the exchange for 2017. Some of those who don't qualify for tax credits said last year they struggled to afford monthly health insurance premiums and high deductibles.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama, the only company offering plans on the exchange in 2017, lost about $250 million on Obamacare plans between 2014 and 2016, according to a spokesperson. Insurance companies struggled to enroll younger and healthier consumers, which left them with an older and sicker pool of customers.

The GOP's American Health Care Act would increase subsidies for younger customers in middle and upper income brackets, but would also do away with the individual mandate requiring insurance coverage.

The GOP plan keeps many of the most popular parts of the Affordable Care Act, including provisions that allow parents to keep kids on their insurance until they turn 26 and protections for people with preexisting conditions.

The plan would also make changes to the Medicaid program. Alabama did not expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, but could still face reductions in funding that would cap the amount paid by the federal government. The Congressional Budget Office has not estimated the cost of the GOP's plan and additional debate could reshape major portions of the bill.